One consequence of Mayor Lightfoot’s four-day lockout is that today’s paycheck is not a full one, due to the fight for safety in our schools during a lethal surge in the COVID-19 pandemic. But we continue to push Chicago Public Schools to reinstate those four days of work and wages, just as we continue to meet with CPS daily and hammer out enforcement issues in the new district Safety Agreement.
The deadline in 2020 is Friday, June 12 for stipends won in our latest contract for language interpreters in IEP meetings.
CTU has filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against the Board of Education for failure to resolve salary raises for our veteran educators. As well, the Board of Education is working on a way for year-around bargaining unit members to make up the 5 make-up days agreed on as part of the Contract approved in November.
CTU members hired by CPS this year received only three days winter vacation pay, instead of their normal four days pay, due to the 11 days of work lost by this year’s strike.
After fighting on picket lines for 11 days—six of them unpaid—we still had to fight Chicago Public Schools for wages and benefits already earned. Here is where we stand as we enter Winter Break.
CPS is illegally reneging on its deal. Our 11-day strike forced CPS to recognize the contributions of its veteran teachers, among other improvements. As soon as CTU members voted to ratify the agreement, however, the district broke our deal and demanded that most of the $25 million be paid in one-time lump sum bonuses rather than be added to veteran teachers’ base salaries, costing them thousands of dollars in salary increases over the course of their careers because their base salaries won’t increase. CPS didn’t want to pay its veteran teachers fairly, and now it’s retaliating against them for being among the longest-tenured and most dedicated workers in our schools.
Teachers at schools that flexed the final PD day over the course of the year have worked the time for the day and do not need to come in to work on Monday, June 24. However, in order to get paid for the day, they will need to enter the code DVF in Kronos. The code is now open for entry by teachers. TEACHERS MUST ENTER THE CODE THEMSELVES. CLERKS ARE UNABLE TO ENTER IT.
